Ninja Squirrles Cooperating
Reading Gladwell‘s book Outliers, and this quote grabbed my attention.
He’d had to make his way alone, and no one — not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses — ever makes it alone.
I have always disliked the phrase “self made man” because in my experience I have never met one. Ever. We have this vision of a Galt-esque intellectual warrior who single handedly drives to success. And while this archetype may exist, they don’t achieve this success without innumerable amounts of assistance from people.
So the next time you hear someone say they are “self made”. Or a friend describe someone as a “self made man”. Please call BS. And buy them a copy of Outliers.
The photo? Two squirrels cooperating by the vision of the artist Elaine Bradford.
I think the nuance lies in the ability to ask, actually. Sure, everyone needs someone sometime, but not everyone has the gumption to take the initiative and simply ask for what they want or need. That’s what a “self-made (wo)man” is. Someone who has the (proverbial) balls to take the reins for him/herself and ask for what s/he wants, instead of waiting for it to happen to them.
Posted on December 28, 2008 at 3:17 pm.
@Fayza – very true. No matter what successful people almost invariably are hard hard workers. And hard workers who work on something BEFORE they need it. The discipline to study for the sake of study, and that hard work later becomes an opportunity. And that opportunity is frequently in a wrapper of “lucky timing” like Bill Gates.
So yes hard work, but luck and timing and a person’s background are necessary ingredients. With hard work alone, the “self made (wo)man” will survive but not excel. She needs help from friends and family. And a few lucky breaks sure help.
My main point is, it is delusional to have people declare they THEY DID IT ALONE. Not in my experience. Speaking for myself, I have had a TON of help! And I am humbly grateful.
Posted on December 28, 2008 at 3:34 pm.
When i hear that someone is "self-made" all that lets me know is that they were really really broke before they became successful. Its just a phrase people use to pat themselves on the back because they're bitter about how hard they had to work.
I agree NO ONE is self-made.
Posted on January 3, 2009 at 1:02 am.